Mumbai based businessmen taken into custody for allegedly molesting ‘Dangal’ star Zaira Wasim

‘Dangal’ actress Zaira Wasim went live on Instagram on Saturday night claiming that she was allegedly molested by a co-passenger on her flight from Delhi to Mumbai. The 17-year-old actress alleged that a man who was sitting behind her in the flight, was rubbing his foot against her back and neck. In her video, Zaira Wasim narrated her bitter experience of molestation and said, “So I just landed and you know the whole irony of this is that…this is not done at all. This is not the way a girl should be made to feel. This is terrible. Is this how we are going to take care of girls? No one, no one will help us if we don’t decide to help ourselves. This is the worst thing.”

The actress, who is famous for her roles in Dangal and Secret Superstar, broke down in tears while narrating her horrific experience, as she was, understandably, perturbed.

“Managed to get this (shot of the molester’s foot). The lights were dimmed so it was even worse. It continued for another 5-10 minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck,” she posted, also slamming the airline saying, “Slow claps for Vistara’s crew guys! Wonderful!” said the actress describing her experience on the Air Vistara flight.

The man has been identified Vikas Sachdev, a 39-year-old businessman based out of Mumbai. Vikas, who will be produced in court on Monday, refuted Zaira’s claim and said that his foot touched her accidentally. The 39-year-old even added that he apologised to the actress on the same. His claim was supported by his wife Divya who said, “My husband was coming home from Delhi. His mamaji (maternal uncle) had passed away and he was not in the right frame of mind. He was feeling very low and asked for a blanket. He wanted to sleep. I am shocked at Zaira’s allegation. The police have taken my husband into custody.”

Air Vistara has issued an apology and said a full-fledged investigation is in process to gain further insights on the molestation case.